Blue Jays Beat Phillies 5-1

Cole Hamels did not have his stuff today and the Phillies dropped one to the Blue Jays by a score of 5-1.

King Cole lasted just four innings and coughed up five runs on seven hits, including three homeruns. He has allowed 18 dingers this season, second place in the NL alongside former Phillie Randy Wolf. (Come to think of it, how much different would this rotation be with the leader of the Wolf Pack instead of Cole? They have similar numbers on the season, though Wolf makes an extra $2 mil.) The Blue Jays, who despite having the lowest batting average in the American League, lead the majors in homers. No wonder they jumped at the chance to play at the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park.

Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum improved his record to 7-3 as his changeup baffled the Phillies bats through six. His only blemish was a Ryan Howard solo shot, his 15th of the season. Jayson Werth went hitless with three strikeouts; and it seems more and more that Jayson either has a monster night or an ice-cold one.

One bright spot on the evening was the Phillies bullpen. Nelson Figuroa dealt three strikeouts in his two innings of relief and appeared to have a strong command of Blue Jays batters. After a scoreless inning by Danys Baez, Mike Zagurski retired another three in his second appearance of the season.

Chase Utley was burned for this ninth error of the season when he threw a ball away in the fourth. Chase is struggling not just at the plate but in the field as well. It might not be something of immediate concern, but defense has always been a staple of recent Phillies teams – led by The Man.

Jamie Moyer takes to the hill tomorrow afternoon in the rubber match of this road series for the Phillies. It will be the final interleague game of the regular season.